Magical display apparatus

ABSTRACT

The device or apparatus of the invention is a magical display apparatus in which a pair of hands appears to be disembodied, yet capable of movement and manipulation of physical devices. The apparatus provides members having openings through which human hands can be inserted, the human being concealed behind the apparatus by way of mirrors which reflect surfaces making it appear that the apparent disembodied hands extend from members spaced from the background. The members having openings for the apparent disembodied hands themselves are mounted for directional movement such that their orientation remains the same relative to the concealing mirrors. Simulated artificial limbs (hands) are displayed. Means are provided to momentarily obscure or obstruct from view the openings while the said members are moving and at this moment live animate hands are substituted for the simulated inanimate ones.

United States Patent Wilson 51 Feb. 1,1972

[54] MAGICAL DISPLAY APPARATUS [72] Inventor: James Mark Wilson, 4149 Regal Oak Drive, Encino, Calif. 91316 [22] Filed: Feb. 3, 1969 211 App]. No.: 795,837

[52] US. Cl ..272/l3 [51] Int. Cl.. ..A63j 5/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..272/8,l3,10,9,8.5,25

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 421,493 2/1890 I-Ianlon ..272/9 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 5,105 1915 Great Britain ..-...272/9 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Magic, by Alpert A. Hopkins. Munn & Co., Publishers, Scientific American Office, New York 1906. Vanity Fair" pp. 27- 30 and Decapitation pp. 48- 50.

Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Arnold W. Kramer Attorney-Herzig & Walsh [57] ABSTRACT The device or apparatus of the invention is a magical display apparatus in which a pair of hands appears to be disembodied, yet capable of movement and manipulation of physical devices. The apparatus provides members having openings through which human hands can be inserted, the human being concealed behind the apparatus by way of mirrors which reflect surfaces making it appear that the apparent disembodied hands extend from members spaced from the background. The members having openings for the apparent disembodied hands themselves are mounted for directional movement such that their orientation remains the same relative to the concealing mirrors. Simulated artificial limbs (hands) are displayed. Means are provided to momentarily obscure or obstruct from view the openings while the said members are moving and at this moment live animate hands are substituted for the simulated inanimate ones.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures MAGICAL DISPLAY APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a magical apparatus and method wherein there is provided a display of animate hands that appear to be disembodied and not a part of a human being or person. Preferably in an exemplary form of the invention, the display of the disembodied hands is provided in a cabinet which is viewed from the front by an audience. The disembodied hands, of course, are actually the hands of a person whose arms are inserted through members having apertures therein, the hands appearing to be disembodied in front of these members. The area or space behind the said members is concealed by mirrors so positioned that the mirrors reflect surfaces making it appear that the said members are spaced forwardly from such surfaces and that the space behind them is vacant, that is, not occupied rather than being concealed.

It has previously known in the prior art to provide a type of display which displays a pair of hands that appear to be disembodied. A display apparatusof that type is shown in earlier US. Pat. No. 1,169,347 of Ohlson. The herein invention provides certain improvements in the apparatus whereby the disembodied effect is considerably enhanced and the degree of apparent mobility of the disembodied hands is augmented.

Whereas in the earlier patent referred to, the disembodied hands extended from vertical columns of appreciable size, in the present invention the disembodied hands'extend simply through apertures in panels making it appear that a physical body can not possibly be concealed within the panels, the effect being that the disembodied hands extend directly from the panels. The effect is realized by way of the particular arrangement of concealing mirrors which conceal the space behind the panels. A backdrop or background surface is provided spaced back from the panels, the mirrors extending between these background surfaces and edge of the panels, the angular position of the mirrors being such as to reflect images of the background surfaces thereby making it appear that the space behind the panels is vacant and unoccupied.

A further improvement in the apparatus of the invention is that the panels having apertures through which the disembodied hands extend, are made to be movable directionally and in the preferred form of the invention they are made to be movable vertically. This movement relative to the concealing mirrors is such that the orientation of the panels relative to the concealing mirrors remains the same so that the apparent mobility and degree of capability of movement of the disembodied hands considerably increases.

A further improvement in the apparatus and technique or method resides in the provision of a pair of simulated artificial limbs (hands) which are displayed in a way to clearly indicate that they are disembodied. Means are provided so that momentarily, the apertures in the panels can be obscured or obstructed from view so that, the simulated limbs can be placed adjacent the apertures and then removed through the apertures and animate (live) limbs substituted during the momentary period of obscuring. The magical effect is enhanced by these improvements since not only do the hands that are clearly animate appear to be disembodied, the simulated hands are seen to be unquestionably disembodied.

In the light of the foregoing, the primary object ofthe invention is to provide improvements in display apparatus of the type described, and particularly to provide arrangements of concealing mirrors whereby the disembodied hands simply extend through apertures in panels with the space behind the panels concealed.

Another object is to provide an improvement as referred to in the foregoing wherein the panels are mounted so as to have freedom of directional movement relative to the concealing mirrors while maintaining the same orientation relative thereto, to give the appearance of greater mobility of the disembodied hands.

A further object resides in the provision of simulated hands with means for effecting the substitution, while obscured, of animate hands for the simulated hands.

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view partly broken away of a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, in the exemplary form of the invention as shown in FIG. 1 numeral 10 designates generally a rectilinear cabinet which is open at the front and which is adapted to be viewed from the front. The back of the cabinet is open as shown at 12, the cabinet being of the size so that a person may be concealed behind or within it either in a standing or sitting position. The cabinet has an opening 14 in its front or frame 16 and it has side walls 18 and 20.

Within the cabinet there is a bottom wall or floor 24 and top wall or partition 26. Between the said walls 18 and 20 and intermediate the front and back of the cabinet is a partition forming background or backdrop comprised of parts 30, 32 and 34 parallel to the front and back of the cabinet. These background members are provided with uniform surfaces which may be metallic and vertically ribbed, for example, as indicated at 36 in FIG. 2. Between the members 30 and 32 is a space 40 and between the members 32 and 34 is a space 43, the dimension between these spaces being such that a person can conveniently reach through them in a manner that will be described.

Spaced forwardly of the opening 40 is a panel member 42 which is a strip of material which may be any suitable material such as wood, plastic or metal. The member 42 extends through a guide bushing 44 in the bottom or floor member 24, this bushing having a liner bushing 46 of the same shape in it which may be made of Teflon or suitable similar material providingsurfaces that the member 42 can adequately slide against. The member 42 moves through a similar guide member 50 in the top partition 26, this guide member having a similar sleeve or bushing 52 within it.

The panel 42 has a front surface of uniform coloration and this may be a color such as a uniform silver, gray or aluminum color for reasons that will be pointed out presently. The member 42 is movable vertically in its mountings. It moves through V-shaped openings 56 and 56' in a platform 60 that is spaced upwardly from the bottom or floor 24 and which is supported by brace member 62 and 64, the bottom parts of which are spaced from the floor 24.

Numeral 68 designates a mirror positioned so that it extends between the inner edge of the backdrop member 30 and one edge of the panel 42 shown.

The mirror 68 is positioned so that the images reflected in it are viewable by an audience positioned in front of the display cabinet 10 and the images reflected in it are images of the uniform surface 36. Thus, it appears to the viewing audience that the surface 36 continues across the gap or space 40 and that the panel 42 is positioned directly in front of a backdrop member like the member 30 with the space in between vacant and unoccupied. Numeral 70 designates similar mirror extending from an edge of the backdrop member 32 to the other edge of the panel 42 and positioned as shown to produce the same effect on this side of the panel, that is, that the backdrop member 32 extends entirely across the opening behind the panel 42 with the space in between vacant and not occupied.

The panel 42 has an aperture 72 in it, numerals 76 and 76' designate a pair of glovelike members into which human hands can be inserted as illustrated in FIG. 2. Alternatively these members might be long gloves stuffed to simulate inanimate artificial limbs (hands).

Numeral 42' designates a panel similar to the panel 42 and similarly mounted relative to the platform 60 and extending through a similar notch or cutout 56' therein. This panel has a similar aperture 72 in it. Similar mirrors 68' and 70 are provided which need not be described in detail.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that a person may occupy the space in the back part of the cabinet either in the standing or sitting position so that his arms can be extended through the apertures in the panels 42 and 42 and within the gloves 76 and 76. The appearance is that the panels 42 and 42' which have a relatively small thickness dimension are separated in space from a background represented by the members 30, 32 and 34, it appearing that the space behind them as described is vacant.

The technique or method of effecting the magical display is as follows. The magician displays the simulated hands (gloves) 76 and 76 in such a way as to demonstrate conclusively that they are inanimate and disembodied. He then holds them up to the apertures while they are in a position below members 62 and 64 and the person in the cabinet grabs their ends and holds them while the panels 42 and 42 are moved up. Moinentarily the apertures and gloves 76 and 76' are obscured or obstructed from view behind members 62 and 64 and during this moment the person in the cabinet snatches the gloves through the apertures and extends his own hands and arms therethrough, similarly gloved, so that when the apertures reappear above members 62 and 64, the animate arms now appear though apparently disembodied. Alternatively, the gloves 76 and 76' can be attached to the apertures 42 and 42 and the person in the cabinet can insert his arms into them. As may be seen it appears that the hands represented by the gloves 76 and 76 are disembodied. The person within the cabinet is, of course, able to manipulate the hands in any manner including the manipulation and handling of objects that may be placed on the platform 60 and this may include as for example, the manipulation of a portable radio or knobs, handles, switches and the like on mechanical or scientific instruments which can be lifted from the platform 60 and moved about. Inasmuch as the panel 42 and 42 are freely movable in a vertical direction the person within the cabinet can slide them up or down at will a substantial amount, and they can be thus moved one at a time or at the same time or in opposite directions. Thus the appearance is given of extraordinary mobility of the disembodied hands as a whole in addition to their maneuverability as such. The edges of the mirrors are brought close to the corner edges of the panels 42 and 42'. Preferably lights are provided within the upper part of the cabinet t 10 and also within the lower part of the cabinet. The total effect is the illusion of disembodied hands capable of extraordinary mobility as well as maneuverability of the hands themselves. The effect is the more fascinating and striking since at the outset it has been clearly shown that the hands not only are disembodied but in fact, at the time, inanimate.

From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate the nature and construction of the invention and the manner in which it achieves and realizes the objectives as set forth in the foregoing as well as the many additional advantages that are apparent from the detailed description. The exemplary form of the invention described herein illustrates its principles. It may be manifested in various alternative forms and adaptations within the realm of the invention. Of

course. it might be other limbs that are displayed as being disembodied rather than the hands. The motion of the mounting panels for the disembodied hands might be horizontal rather than vertical and similarly it might be in other directions adapted to particular circumstances. Various types of lighting may be employed depending upon the particular illusionary effects desired. As indicated the display has great utility simply as a device for pure entertainment, but additionally it has value as a type of display useful in attracting attention in connection with the display, marketing and sales of many types ofproducts.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of preferred forms of the invention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is: l. Illusory apparatus comprising a cabinet having an opening through the front wall; mirror means mounted in said cabinet in front of the rear wall; member means movably mounted in said cabinet forwardly of said mirror means, said mirror means and member means defining concealed space means in said cabinet with the rear wall reflected in said mirror means creating the illusion that the concealed space means behind said member means is empty; hole-defining means in said member means; and obstruction means mounted in said cabinet relative to said member means so that upon movement ofsaid member means, the hole-defining'means therein can be moved entirely past said obstruction means whereby inanimate shaped members placed adjacent the hole-defining means can supposedly become animated by the substitution of similar shaped animated members therefor by an unobserved operator in said concealed space means when the hole-defining means carrying said inanimate shaped members is moved past said obstruction means and vice versa.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the movably mounted member means comprises two members and the mirror means comprises a pair of mirrors for each movably mounted member.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the inanimate shaped members comprise elongated glovelike members having the appearance of artificial limbs.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said means providing limited obstruction is so constructed that the members having the appearance of an artificial limb can pass behind the obstruction means as the movable member means moves.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said member means are mounted to move vertically.

6. Illusory apparatus comprising a cabinet having an opening through the front wall; mirror means mounted in said cabinet in front of the rear wall; member means movably mounted in said cabinet forwardly of said mirror means, said mirror means and member means defining concealed space means in said cabinet with the rear wall reflected in said mirror means creating the illusion that the concealed space means behind said member means is empty; and hole-defining means in said member means. 

1. Illusory apparatus comprising a cabinet having an opening through the front wall; mirror means mounted in said cabinet in front of the rear wall; member means movably mounted in said cabinet forwardly of said mirror means, said mirror means and member means defining concealed space means in said cabinet with the rear wall reflected in said mirror means creating the illusion that the concealed space means behind said member means is empty; hole-defining means in said member means; and obstruction means mounted in said cabinet relative to said member means so that upon movement of said member means, the holedefining means therein can be moved entirely past said obstruction means whereby inanimate shaped members placed adjacent the hole-defining means can supposedly become animated by the substitution of similar shaped animated members therefor by an unobserved operator in said concealed space means when the hole-defining means carrying said inanimate shaped members is moved past said obstruction means and vice versa.
 2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the movably mounted member means comprises two members and the mirror means comprises a pair of mirrors for each movably mounted member.
 3. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the inanimate shaped members comprise elongated glovelike members having the appearance of artificial limbs.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said means providing limited obstruction is so constructed that the members having the appearance of an artificial limb can pass behind the obstruction means as the movable member means moves.
 5. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said member means are mounted to move vertically.
 6. Illusory apparatus comprising a cabinet having an opening through the front wall; mirror means mounted in said cabinet in front of the rear wall; member means movably mounted in said cabinet forwardly of said mirror means, said mirror means and member means defining concealed spacE means in said cabinet with the rear wall reflected in said mirror means creating the illusion that the concealed space means behind said member means is empty; and hole-defining means in said member means. 